Chunchipatra Pitha ( an Odia Delicacy )

Today is the last day of Raja, a three day celebration in Odisha. (Click on the link to read more about the festival  ). I have been very busy making various types of pithas (sweet snacks) and hence did not get the time to post anything over the weekend.

This is a special recipe that I learnt recently from Ritu maam and had a chance to make it for the first time during Raja. A very interesting traditional dish, one does not rely on any fancy kitchen tool but a bunch of 'Doob' grass to fashion it. The batter used is a normal rice flour one but with a very runny (almost water like) consistency. One just dips the bunch of grass into it and sprinkles a cross symbol on a flat vessel or a tawa. Now, this 'tawa' should be maintained at an optimal temperature, not too hot nor too cold (quite like a dosa). Then one puts some stuffing ( this can either be sweet like a coconut-jaggery mixture or savoury like potato/paneer/vegetable ) in the center and folds the ends over it to close it like a pocket. But these days we find ourselves living in concrete jungles and grass is tough to come by ( and even if we do, God forbid what chemicals/pesticides people spray on the lawns these day ) . So, a clean piece of thin cloth folded into a rectangle shape will do in place of the grass. What I find most endearing about this dish is the fact that the layers are paper thin (almost transparent) and one can actually see the stuffing inside.

So, read on for a refreshingly different recipe -

Preparation Time - 30-40 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup basmati/jeera/arwa rice 
• 1 whole coconut
• sugar/jaggery to taste
• 1-2 green cardamoms
• 1-2 tsp ghee
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash and soak the rice overnight.

Drain excess water. Grind it into a very fine paste. Add salt and more water to the batter. Make it quite runny in consistency. Keep aside for 1-2 hours.

Grate the coconut and keep aside.

Cooking - Heat 1 tsp ghee in a wok. Add the coconut and fry till it starts turning light brown. Add sugar/jaggery at this point and keep stirring till it is completely dissolved. Remove from flame and keep aside.

Heat a tawa. Lightly grease with ghee. Use a paper towel to wipe off/remove the excess as it will not allow the batter to spread properly.

Take a thin cotton cloth/handkerchief and fold it into a rectangle. Dip into the batter, remove and brush lightly over the tawa making a cross symbol with it. Keep the flame low to medium. As it gets cooked, the ends will slightly lift up.

Put the coconut stuffing in the center and fold the ends over it. Remove from tawa and keep aside.

Wipe the tawa with a paper towel and proceed with another pitha. (After making 4-5 pithas, the batter gets slightly thicker. Add a few teaspoons of water to dilute it and adjust salt accordingly)

Serve hot with curry/dalma.

Fish Biryani (Kerala style biriyani)

By now I have probably tried out all the popular biriyani varities from South India. Such is my fascination for this awesome one pot meal that every time I read/see about a new variety on someone's blog/newspapers or on the internet, I know I have to give it a try. The last one (hopefully) pending was a Kerala or Malabar style biriyani. Heavy with the fragrance of coconut and spices, this one has the indelible stamp of fabulous coastal cuisine.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 40-45 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 4 pieces of fish ( Surmai/seer fish is preferable but I used Rohu instead )
• 1 large + 1 medium sized onion
• 2 tsp GG paste
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 2 large tomatoes (freshly pureed)
• 2-3 green chilis (crushed)
• 1/3 cup chopped mint leaves
• 1/3 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1-2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamon
• 1 tsp ghee
• 4 tsp oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste

Preparation - Chop the onion into thin long slices.

Wash and soak the rice for 1-2 hours.

Wash and clean the fish pieces. Add salt, Kashmiri chili powder, lemon juice and about 2-3 pinch of turmeric. Mix together and keep aside for 10 mins.

Cooking - Heat 1 1/2 tsp of oil in a frying pan. Add the marinated fish and fry on both sides till done. Remove and keep aside.

Heat 2 1/2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the onions along with the curry leaves and fry till onion turns light brown.

Add the GG paste and crushed green chilies. Fry till raw smell goes away. Add the tomato puree and fry till oil starts to separate out.

Add turmeric, chili powder, pepper powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala. Fry for 1 minute.

Add the soaked rice along with the chopped mint and coriander leaves. Fry till the leaves wilt up a bit. Add 2 cups warm water and the coconut milk. Add salt to taste. Finally drop in the fried fish, whole spices and ghee.

Cook on a medium low flame for 1 whistle (approx 12-14 mins). Remove and keep aside for 15-20 mins. Open the lid and fluff the rice grains with a fork.

Serve hot with raita. 

Note - While the curry leaves and coconut milk add authenticity to this recipe, I would suggest that folks with less than adventurous taste-buds skip these two ingredients.

Daliya-Moong dal Kichidi

Time for something light and healthy !! After eating out on the weekends and cooking up some high calorie stuff in the last few days, I thought to make up the abuse that I have put my system through. So, it was a very healthy lunch for my and kiddo, comprising of daliya khichidi, home made curd and a few slices of mango. Loaded with the goodness of fiber (from daliya) and pro-biotic bacteria ( from curd ), it is designed to get digested easily while also removing the toxins from the system. Great option for people suffering from diabetes or those trying to lose some weight.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

1/2 cup daliya/cracked wheat
1/3 cup split moong dal
1 small onion (finely sliced)
1/2 cup carrot (chopped into small pieces)
1/4 cup potato (chopped into small pieces)
1/2 cup cauliflower florets (chopped into small pieces)
a pinch of turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/5 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 red chili
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp oil
salt to taste


Cooking - Dry roast the moong dal in a pan till it gives a fragrance. Keep aside

Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the daliya and roast till it changes to slightly red color. Add the roasted moong dal to the same cooker along with 2 1/2 cups water, salt and turmeric.

Close the lid. Cook for 4-5 whistles. Keep aside for steam to escape.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the cumin seeds with broken red chili. As the cumin turns brown, add the onion and saute till translucent.

Add all the vegetables and masalas. Mix well. Cover with a lid for 3-4 mins.

Add the boiled daliya-moong dal to the wok along with 1/2 - 1 cup water. Boil for 4-5 minutes before removing from flame.

Serve hot with a drizzle of ghee and coriander leaves.

Maccha Manjee bara Tarkari

What do you do when you buy a 3 kg fish and some 250-300 gms of fish eggs come free with it ?? I guess thats a no brainer. Obviously, you make lots and lots of fritters. But what if you still have some fritters leftover after eating to your heart's content. Well, you can refrigerate and microwave them the next day before eating. Or you can come up with a curried version of the fish egg fritters (a better solution I would say as you do not have to prepare another gravy dish to go with the rice/rotis). The method used is similar to that of a regular Odisha style fish curry but with some garam masala and kasuri methi added for extra flavor.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -

For the bara/fritters -
100 gm fish eggs
1 tsp besan
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/3 tsp GG paste
1/4 tsp chili powder
a pinch of turmeric
1 tsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
salt to taste
oil for shallow frying

For the curry -

1 large sized onion
1 medium sized tomato
1 tsp GG paste
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp fish/meat masala (optional)
2 tsp kasuri methi
a pinch of garam masala
2 pinch turmeric
whole spices ( 1 green cardamom, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon stick )
salt to taste
3 tsp oil

Cooking - Clean the fish eggs and drain off excess water. Take it a mixing bowl and mash it up. Add all the remaining ingredients (except oil) listed under "For the baras/fritters" . Mix well and keep aside for 5 mins.

Heat oil in a wok for shallow frying. Take spoonfuls of the fish egg mixture and put into the hot oil. One can make 5-6 fritters per batch. Fry on both sides till golden brown. Remove from the wok and keep aside. Repeat for the remaining mixture.

Remove excess oil if any from the wok. Add the onions along with the whole spices and saute till onion starts to look translucent. Add the GG paste at this stage and cook till the raw smell goes away and the onion start to turn red.

Add all the powdered spices at this stage and stir fry for 1 minute.

Now, add the finely chopped tomato and sprinkle a little salt over the contents of the wok. Cover with lid for 1-2 minutes. Remove the lid and mash up the tomatoes which would have softened by now. Cook the ingredients till they start to ooze oil.

Add around 1 - 1 1/2 cup hot water and bring everything to a boil. Let it boil for 4-5 mins.

Rub the kasuri methi leaves and add to the wok along with the baras. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes after adding the baras/fritters. Remove and keep aside for 5-10 mins for the baras to soak up the gravy.               ( However if you prefer the fritters to remain crispy, add them to the hot/warm gravy just before serving.)

Serve with white rice.

Malai Kofta

I am not much of a kofta person as our menu is predominantly non-vegetarian . And paneer dishes are made very rarely, mostly reserved for occasions when we have any of our vegetarian friends coming over. With koftas being quite messy and rich, I usually avoided it in favour of dishes like Paneer Schezhuan or Paneer Tikka. But when a reader requested for a kofta recipe, I had to think hard before coming up with this. I have cut short the time (and also the amount of oil/butter) spent on making the gravy by cooking most of the ingredients beforehand. The tikkis can also be baked in a oven for further reducing the calories. (I tried doing this for 2 of the tikkis and they tasted good)

Read on for the recipe - 

Preparation Time - 25-30 mins

Ingredients - 

For the koftas -

200 gm paneer

1 medium sized potato

1 tsp cornflour

a pinch of garam masala

1/3 tsp chilli powder

salt to taste

oil for shallw frying

To be boiled -

2 medium sized onion

1 medium sized tomato

3-4 garlic flakes

1 inch long ginger

1 dry Kashmiri red chilli

10-12 almonds (blanched)

1/3 tsp cumin

1 inch cinnamon stick

1-2 green cardamoms

2-3 cloves

salt to taste

Others -

1 tsp oil

1 tsp butter

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp kasuri methi

salt to taste

Cooking - Cook the potato with 1 cup water in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes.

While the potato is cooking, chop the onions, peel the garlic and ginger. Take all the ingredients listed under "to be boiled" in another pressure cooker with 1 cup water. Cook on medium high flame for 7-8 minutes or 2-3 whistles. Keep aside for steam to escape.(let the tomato remain intact/whole while cooking)

Heat oil in a wok for shallow frying.

Peel and grate the boiled potato into a mixing bowl. Also grate the paneer into the same bowl. Add salt, cornflour, chili powder and garam masala. Mix thouroughly and divide into 6-7 portions. Shape each portion into a flattened circle about 2/3 cm thick.

Put the koftas into the hot oil. Fry on both sides till brown. Press slightly against the side of the vessel to drain off excess oil before removing. Keep on a tissue paper to absorb still more oil.

Strain the contents of the pressure cooker. Do not throw away this water. Transfer to a grinder and make a smooth paste.

Heat 1 tsp oil in another wok. Add butter to it followed by the onion masala paste. Cook for 3 minutes before adding some of the strained water. Add honey. Rub the kasuri methi between your palms before adding it to the gravy. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the koftas to the gravy and switch off the flame (only if the curry is to be served immediately else heat the gravy and add the koftas just before serving).

Tastes best with naan/rotis but also goes well with white rice/pulao.

Note - When making this recipe for special ocasions, chop up some dry fruits ( raisins, cashews, almonds ), lightly fry them in some ghee and stuff them inside the koftas.

Daliya Kheer

Another one of my daliya recipes!!  I just can't keep my hands off this whole-grain these days. Packed with fiber which is known to speed up sluggish metabolisms, it is a boon for people wanting to lose some weight. It is also known to help prevent Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular ailments. While I used to cook daliya exclusively for my kid, now I end up eating half of it myself.

It is great way to inculcate healthy eating habits among kids given the amount of junk that they eat. One just needs to cook it real soft while giving it to the younger kids else they might find hard to digest it.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins (including 20 mins standby)

Ingredients -

1/2 cup daliya or cracked wheat
2 1/2 cups whole milk
3 tbsp sugar or as per taste
2 tbsp condensed milk (optional)
few strands of saffron
raisins/cashews/almonds for garnishing (as desired)
1 tsp ghee

Cooking - Heat a frying pan. Add the ghee followed by the daliya and roast on low-medium flame till it turns reddish in colour. This takes about 5-6 mins.

Soak the roasted daliya in 1 cup hot milk for 10 mins. Transfer the soaked daliya to a pressure cooker along with 1/2 cup water and cook for 2 whistles. Remove from stove and keep aside till steam escapes. [ If you are in a hurry, forgo the soaking and cook it for 1-2 extra whistles. ]

While the daliya is being cooked, bring the remaining milk to a boil and let it reduce. Add the daliya along with sugar, condensed milk and saffron strands to the milk. Boil for 3 mins.

Remove from stove and serve hot or slightly chilled.

Note - I have kept the consistency a little liquid so that it is easier for the kids to drink/swallow it up. It does thicken on cooling but one can cook it for few more minutes if still more thickness is desired.

Egg Biryani

My 15'th Biryani recipe!!! Have to admit it has become tough to resist the lure of the ultimate "one pot meal".

This one is dedicated to all the egg lovers, especially the eggy-tarians, people treading the thin line between vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism. A very popular version that I had kept over-looking. Better late than never.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 25-30 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 eggs
• 1 large + 1 medium sized onion
• 2 tsp GG paste
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1 large tomatoe (finely chopped)
• 1/3 cup chopped mint leaves
• 1/3 cup chopped coriander leaves
• a few strands of mace
• a pinch of nutmeg powder
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamon
• 1 tsp ghee
• 2 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup yogurt

Preparation - Chop the onion into thin long slices

Cooking - Boil water in a saucepan. Add salt and the eggs to it. Boil for 12-14 mins.

At the same time heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add the onions and fry till brown.

Add the GG paste and fry till raw smell goes away. Add the tomato puree and fry till oil starts to separate out.

Add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala. Fry for 1 minute.

Add the yogurt and cook till oil separates.

By this time the eggs would be cooked. Hold them under running water for 2 mins to cool down. Crack and remove their shells.

Add the eggs to the pressure cooker.

Add the washed rice along with the chopped mint and coriander leaves. Fry till the leaves wilt up a bit. Add 2 1/2 cups warm water. Add salt to taste. Finally drop in the whole spices, nutmeg powder and ghee.

Cook on a medium low flame for 1 whistle (approx 12-14 mins). Remove from direct flame . Heat a tawa on a low flame and place the pressure cooker on it for 10-15 mins. Keep aside for a few minutes before opening the lid.

Open the lid and fluff the rice grains with a fork. Sprinkle some lemon juice if you need more tang to it.

Serve with some raita and onion rings.

 

Strawberry-Yogurt Muffins with Choco chips

Baking to do away with the blues. That is what I did yesterday. However I was so wound up that I forgot to check my baking powder supply. It has now reached the bottom of the tin and unfortunately I had also ran out of fruits salts which can be used as a substitute. On top of that I was dropping stuff and by the time the muffins went into the oven, I realized that I had forgotten to turn on the bottom grill. Somehow I managed to make a batch of decent looking (but very tasty) muffins but ended up feeling even more wound up. I guess I need a break from the regular stuff.....hence planning for a vacation sometime next week or so. Worry not if I go MIA for a few days...

For now, read on for the quick recipe -

Total Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup All purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar (powdered)
• egg ( 1 no)
• yogurt ( 2 tbsp )
• baking powder ( 1/2 level tsp )
• choco chips (2-3 tbsp)
• Mala's strawberry crush ( 1 tbsp )

Preparation - Take the butter in a mixing bowl and beat it for 3-4 mins. Add the powdered sugar and beat well for 5 mins or till the mixture turns a few shades lighter. Mix in the strawberry crush.

Break egg into a separate bowl and beat well such that stiff peaks can be formed.
Stir gently into the butter-sugar mix. Add the yogurt too.

Mix the flour and baking powder together. Use a sieve to gently sift it into the batter in small batches. Mix gently till no lumps remain. Add in the choco chips.

Grease a non-stick muffin tray. Pour into the molds till 2/3 full. Sprinkle some choco chips on top.

Cooking - Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Put the tray inside and turn down heat to 160 degrees after 5 minutes. Bake for another 10 mins. Insert a toothpick at the center of muffin and check if it comes out clean. Else bake for another 5 mins.

Note - Dust the choco chips in some flour before adding to the batter. This prevents them from sinking (well I actually forgot this step too).
 

Maccha Mahura

Mahura. Ghanta. Chencheda. Fish cooked with a medley of vegetables but known by different names by people from various parts of Odisha. Phew...it can get quite confusing at times. While Ghanta is usually vegetarian with loads of sprouts and fresh coconut ( Ex - Ghanta made on Dwitibahana Osa ), Chencheda is usually made by combining some kind of leafy vegetable with the fish ( Ex- Poi (malabar spinach) Chencheda or Bandha kobi Chencheda ). Even for Mahura, it can be either Niramish (no onion-no garlic, ex - Mahura besara prasad from Puri temple) or amish ( Chingudi mahura or maccha mahura ). Hence, there is no wrong or right categorization but yes the spices are different.

Traditionally, only the head and tail of a fish like Rohu/Bhakura is used in this recipe but one can also make it with the other parts. IMO, given the demands of a fast moving world, one needs to adapt rather than end up in the league of dinosaurs. And that requirement will dictate the future of most traditional recipes. So fret not.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

2 pieces of Bhakura/Rohu fish ( I used a tail and a fillet )
1/2 cup chopped eggplant
1/2 cup chopped pumpkin
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1 small potato
1/2 of a green banana
1 medium sized tomato
1 small onion
4-5 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 dry red chilli
1 large bay leaf
2-3 cloves
8-10 peppercorns
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 green cardamom
1/4 tsp turmeric
oil (as per requirement)
salt to taste


Preparation - Marinate the fish with salt and a pinch of turmeric.

Grind the onion, garlic and ginger into a coarse paste. Chop the tomato into small pieces.


Cooking - All the vegetables (except tomato) should be chopped into similar sized cubes. Clean and transfer them to a cooker with 1/4 cup water. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt. Cook on high flame for 2 whistles.

Set aside for allowing steam to escape. Drain excess water and keep aside.

Dry roast the coriander, cumin, chili, bay leaf, peppercorn, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom till fragrant. Remove and allow to cool down. Grind into a fine powder.

Heat 2-3 tsp oil in wok. Add the fish and fry for 6-7 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
In the same wok, add some more oil. Add the onion-garlic-ginger paste and fry till raw smell goes away.

Add the fried fish to the wok. Slightly crush it and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt. Allow to soften a bit. Add the boiled vegetables at this stage. Turn up the flame and fry for 3 minutes.

Finally add half of the powdered masala along with some water for cooking the vegetables. Cover with a lid and simmer on low flame for 8-10 mins.

Once done, add the remaining masala and remove from the flame.

Serve hot with white rice or rotis.

Note - Grinding the onions along with the ginger and garlic makes the curry rich. If you want to keep it light, chop onions in medium sizes pieces and fry to a golden before adding the ginger garlic paste. Proceed as above.

One can even skip the onions if one wishes to as it is the 'mahura' spices that bring this dish together.

Chuda Bhaja

Whenever I used to fall ill or catch a cold as a kid, my mom would find it a very difficult task to feed me. Everything tasted like sawdust and I refused to open my mouth. It was during those times she gave me mudhi bhaja or chuda bhaja, puffed rice/flattened rice fried with some onions, chilli and topped with some JB mixture/farsan . Now the JB mixture thing is a legend with most Rourkela-ites but sadly not available in other parts of the state. While it was quite simple and healthy, it tasted wonderful to my ravaged taste buds. In fact the taste and the memories still linger on in my mind. And that is why I made this recently when my son was suffering from a cold. The little one quite enjoyed it. Sadly I had to do without the JB mixture as I did not have any in stock. (Even the little one likes it, maybe it is in his genes.)

While I do make this with the addition of oats ( you will find it on my blog ), I never thought of posting it. But this time I made a note to do it. Some of the harried moms' will surely find it useful. Read on -

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -


1 cup chuda or poha or flattened rice
a fistful of peanuts
4-5 curry leaves
1 dry red chilli (broken into 2-3 pieces)
1 small onion finely chopped
2-3 tsp oil for frying
a bit of red chilli powder  (optional)
Some mixture/farsan for topping
salt to taste


Cooking - Heat oil in a wok. Add the red chilli and curry leaves. Fry a bit.

Add the peanuts and turn up flame so that they start popping.

Add a little chuda at first. Allow then to soak up some oil and get puffed. Then add in the rest of the stuff. Fry for 5-6 mins till they turn crispy. Add salt and mix in.

Add the onions at this stage and fry on high for 1 minutes.

Finally remove from flame and add the mixture.

Serve immediately else it tends to get soggy. (If you want to store it, do not add onions or add them at the beginning and fry to a crisp.)

 

Spaghetti al Limone

I love paste recipes that are simple and light with just the right amount of spice. That is why I was delighted to come across the recipe for pasta al limone, i.e., pasta seasoned with lemon. But when I looked up still more, I could find wide discrepancies in the seasonings used in most recipes with the exception of perhaps olive oil, cheese, lemon and basil ( just one recipe used parsley ). So, I added a bit of my own to it. Cheese, lemon juice and mayonnaise with a hint of basil make for the most mind-blowing combination is what I discovered in process.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 150 gm spaghetti
• 2 garlic flakes (finely chopped)
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1/5 tsp chilli flakes
• 3 tbsp grated cheese
• 1 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
• juice of one lemon
• grated rind of one lemon
• 7-8 fresh Italian basil leaves
• freshly ground pepper as per taste
• salt to taste

Preparation - Take the chilli flakes, cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon rind, 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk together.


Cooking - Boil 8-9 cups water in a large saucepan. Add salt when it comes to a boil. As it gets to a rolling boil, throw in spaghetti. Cook for 12 mins or till aldente ( stir 2-3 times in between ).

After the spaghetti has cooked for 9-10 mins, heat a wok. Add the olive oil and as it warms up, throw in the garlic pieces. Allow it to just turn light brown. Remove and keep aside.

Drain the spaghetti while retaining about 1/2 cup of liquid. Add some of this liquid to the mixing bowl containing the cheese-mayo mix.

Transfer the spaghetti back into the saucepan. Add the olive oil-garlic and toss a bit. Add the contents of the mixing bowl along with some basil leaves and crushed pepper. Toss well.

Serve immediately.